Published: July 3, 2025
The next day, at eight in the morning, the Guild carriage carrying Ryo and Abel left the City of Run.
Ryo had his usual single bag, and Abel had a similar bag, so the two of them had minimal luggage.
In the first place, they hardly needed any preparation time.
"Ryo... you're surprisingly calm."
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
Abel commented on Ryo, who was sitting normally as usual, and Ryo, not understanding the meaning, responded with a question.
"Well, I was told by the Guild Master to calm Ryo down since you were in a state akin to a horse getting spooked."
"I see. I don’t quite understand, but there’s a saying in my hometown: 'Haste makes waste' or 'More haste, less speed.' Getting flustered doesn’t help anyone."
Ryo nodded confidently as he spoke.
"I understand. That’s exactly right."
Abel felt relieved and slowly nodded.
Then Ryo decided to ask Abel something that had just come to his mind.
"Abel, about the farewell we had in front of the Guild earlier..."
"Yes?"
"The three from 'red sword' weren’t there, right?"
"Ah... well, that's true."
"Could it be that Abel is being bullied by those three?"
"Why would you think that!"
Ryo looked at Abel with pity, as if he was seeing something terribly sad, and began to question him as if he were handling something fragile. Naturally, Abel would respond in opposition.
"Because, for a party leader to set off on a long job alone without anyone to see him off..."
"Well, if you’re bringing that up, Ryo, no one from 'Room 10' came to see you off either, right?"
"That wasn’t communicated! Besides, I’m not even in Room 10."
"Oh, right... Well then, Sera didn’t come either!"
"Sera is a solo party called 'Wind'... and she came to my house this morning."
Ryo had a smirk that perfectly matched a "Hmph" expression. Abel was incredibly annoyed.
However, he didn’t shout. Truly an adult response.
"Actually..."
"I got it! So, Abel has finally been expelled from 'red sword'! Too bad!"
"Why would you say that!"
In the end, it was Abel who ended up shouting.
"Actually, right now, Ilalion is in Kona Village..."
"Ah, so he’s taking Lin with him. That’s why I’ve been called out..."
"That’s right. And Warren and Rhea are going along with them."
"Eh...?"
"So you see, the three of them weren’t at the last a-rank promotion ceremony either, right?"
"Now that you mention it..."
To Ryo, Abel looked lonely.
No, perhaps he looked as if he were being tormented by a sense of despair.
For none of the party members who shared joys and sorrows with him at the a-rank promotion ceremony to come... for Ryo, that was a terrifying scenario to imagine.
"The joints of the world have come undone."
Ryo said in a small voice.
"Huh?"
"When the world you believed in is shattered and you fall into a desperate situation, those are the words spoken by a prince of a certain kingdom. It suits you well, Abel, who claims to be a prince."
"No, claiming? You still don’t believe me?"
"Of course! 'The joints of the world have come undone! Oh, what a cursed fate that I was born to fix it!' That’s what he cried out!"
Inside the carriage, Ryo was reenacting a scene from Hamlet.
"Uh... okay..."
"Now, continue saying it. 'The joints of the world have come undone.'"
"Huh?"
"'The joints of the world have come undone.'"
"Y-Yo, the joints of the world have come undone."
Under Ryo's pressure, Abel repeated after him.
"That's right. You should cry this out when you find yourself in a desperate situation. I’ll lend you the right to use it, Abel."
"Ah, thank you...?"
Thus, a disciple of Shakespeare was born in this another world.
"Abel... this carriage feels strange."
"Hm? What now?"
"Well, when you say 'what now'... it makes it sound like I always say strange things."
Ryo shrugged, displaying a face of exasperation or perhaps disbelief.
"You’re not self-aware, are you?"
Abel sighed and shook his head.
"Well, this time, I’ll allow your nonsense. I won’t mind."
"Nonsense?!"
"In any case, this carriage feels strange."
"Is that so? It’s running properly on the road to the royal capital."